In late July there was a flurry of activity on social media about the launch of a Yorkshire Wine Trail. Whilst I was aware of Yorkshire having a couple of vineyards two of which I had previously visited on Food & Drink Tours as part of my day job as a Yorkshire Tour Guide, I thought that it was worth exploring this further.
On visiting the Yorkshire Wine Trail website and speaking to some of the vineyards involved it opened up a whole new window into the Yorkshire wine scene which is growing and prospering in the region.
Firstly, some key facts – did you know….?
Yorkshire has 16 Commercial Vineyards
Yorkshire has 9 Wineries with more on their way
Over 100,000 bottles of wine were produced in Yorkshire last year
As well as the 16 Commercial Vineyards, there are more and more people starting to plant vines on their land as Yorkshire’s climate gets warmer and people start to indulge growing wines as a hobby as part of a passion for wine.
The Yorkshire Wine Trail is in its infancy with 6 founder members, but 3 more vineyards in discussion about getting involved. It was launched on 19th June 2021 by Wine GB – Midlands & North.
Ian Sargent – owner of Laurel Vines near Aike and Chair of Wine GB – Midlands & North is one of the people behind the formation of the Yorkshire Wine Trail. He explained the idea behind the trail was “to help put Yorkshire on the map for travel enthusiasts, who enjoyed food, wine and the journey it takes them on”.
Ian’s daughter Rebekah who is in charge of Sales & Marketing at Laurel Vines is also helping manage the social media for the Yorkshire Wine Trail. She says “it’s all about raising the profile of this region with its many vineyards and wines”.
The website aims to highlight the fact that Yorkshire not only has a wine industry, where people can visit the vineyards, buy Yorkshire wine and in most cases take a tour and tasting experience but to also give people extra reasons to visit the region. The website gives ideas of other places to visit and stay locally to where the vineyards are based whilst taking a tour of the region by themselves or part of a guided tour.
The 6 Vineyards which form the tour are located across the region and offer a great selection of distinctive wines. Below are details of the 6 locations:
Leventhorpe Vineyard
Woodlesford nearLeeds
Carlton Towers Walled Garden
5 miles south east of Selby
Laurel Vines
Aike near Driffield
Little Wold Vineyard
South Cave, Yorkshire Wolds
Yorkshire Heart
Nun Monkton, York
Ryedale Vineyard
Westow, just outside Malton
To find out more about the Yorkshire Wine Trail or to click through and find more about each of the individual vineyards and wines – visit www.yorkshirewinetrail.co.uk